The 25-year-old suffered a hamstring injury in the defeat to Tottenham before the winter break, and although Pep Guardiola says he remains a doubt ahead of this weekend’s trip to Leicester, he is progressing well and should be in contention for a first-team return soon.
David Silva left the field early during our 2-0 win over West Ham on Wednesday, but he, too, took part in Friday’s session and the manager hinted he could be involved at the King Power Stadium.
Meanwhile, Leroy Sane remains out, but Guardiola says he is making good progress having spent six months on the sidelines after damaging the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee back in August.
“All of them are okay, not 100 percent some of them,” he said.
“David was smart, intelligent to come off for the last minutes [against West Ham].
“Raheem is in the latter stages [of his recovery]. He’s getting better.
“Leroy is good as well, but, of course, he needs a little more time after six months out.”
TICKETS | Secure your seat for the Carabao Cup final
CITY+ | Sign up for exclusive content
City go into Saturday’s game four points ahead of third-placed Leicester, who have impressed this season under the guidance of Brendan Rodgers.
The former Swansea, Liverpool and Celtic manager has assembled a fine side who look capable of going the distance in the fight for Champions League places.
And Guardiola is full of praise for the East Midlands outfit.
“I said before the home game, how impressed I am with Leicester,” he said.
“I know the job he [Rodgers] did at Liverpool. I saw him at Celtic and thought wow - they were good and aggressive.
“It’s not about the game we played against them here. They have incredible organisation, good scouting., they know what they have to do.
“It’s nice to see teams play like this. It’s good for English football to have managers like this.”
The full 90-minute replay of the game will be available on City+ from Sunday.
Fans can sign up to a 30-day free trial, after which CITY+ is just £1.99GBP / month. For more information, visit https://www.mancity.com/City+
